Attention all foodies! DineFest is officially making its debut in Bangalore starting TODAY, 19th Feb!
Say What?
So Cellar Door Hospitality has announced the February round of DineFest. This is a 10-day multi-city (including namma ooru of course) culinary event which will give you a chance to sample specially curated three-course dining experiences at inexpensive rates compared to the normal a la carte rates!
Oooh when is this happening?
It starts today, and is on until the 28th February 2016, so after you see the list of participating restaurants, we’d get reserving one for every night if we were you!
We were invited to sample Chianti’s DineFest menu, and this happened:
Absolutely loved the cute DIY bruschetta platter (above) that was offered on the table with it’s own ‘How To..’ card and everything. Cute touch.
Course One – Insalata di Caesar and Crab Bisque
Sanchita’s Triple Whammy
Crab Bisque – It’s so hard to get bisque right, I mean, we don’t want it brothy, but we don’t want it too clear and light like soup, so many complications! Well, Chianti can breathe a sigh of relief, as this was the perfect consistency! My favourite part was that they didn’t skimp on the crab meat. The pieces were a good size, gave a nice bite with every spoonful, and was quite filling as well. I’d go back for this one, again and again.
Tagliata di filet (below) – These slices of grilled tenderloin (I asked for medium, but I’d go pinker next time if I were you) came with the most magical red wine jus sprinkled lightly with fresh Italian herbs. I licked my plate clean of the jus. No jokes. The portion is really generous as there are four pieces, so I recommend going with a light appetiser if this has to follow. This also came with a side of grilled vegetables and mash.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse (below) – There’s really little that can beat the combo of homemade peanut butter mousse drizzled in yummy chocolate. I’m a sucker for this. This dessert tasted exactly like a melted Reese’s (can’t describe it better than that) and for a non-lover of banana, the tulle was a sweet surprise! This would be a definite re-order too, considering I polished it off in two minutes flat!
Nikita’s Triple Whammy
Insalata di Caesar with chicken and bacon (pictured earlier) – More often than not, I tend to pick Caesar over other salads, and yes, people may find it a boring choice but here’s why: I’ve been on a search for my favourite in Bangalore. So, hands down this may just be my fav place to score a delicious Caesar salad. Oh, and did I mention it has bacon? BACON, GUYS, which was deliciously perfect and not too crispy. Just the way I like it. The dressing was subtle and not thrown all over the salad like at other places, and when you take a bite of everything together, you are in salad heaven.
Lasagne al forno with chicken – After the the first course, I was pretty excited about my lasagne because I was expecting great things. However, it could have been cheesier because who doesn’t love hot and gooey cheese? That being said, it was delicious because I embarrassingly wiped my plate clean. You’ll also get a taste of carrots and onions, which might be an added bonus for other people.
Tiramisu (below) – If you’re at an Italian restaurant, ordering tiramisu is like a given, and at Chianti, your taste buds are in for a treat. It was featherlight; the flavours weren’t too over powering, and the portion is pretty generous.
How does it work?
Somewhat similar to its predecessor Restaurant Week India, DineFest focuses on the finest dining experiences but a bit less formal. They’re sticking to an offering of a three-course menu (with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options). Both lunch and dinner will be offered at INR 500++ per head in Bangalore no matter where you go! 🙂
You got me. Okay how do I reserve?
You can book exclusively through the DineFest website by clicking here. Remember, cancellations are permitted up to 12 hours prior to each seating!
So who else is participating?
- Café Cassia, Ulsoor
- Café Toscano, Jayanagar
- Chianti, St Marks Road
- Ente Keralam, Ulsoor
- Indian Kitchen, M. G. Road
- Matsuri, The Chancery Hotel
- Red Fork, Indiranagar
- SodaBottleOpenerWala, Lavelle Road
- The Black Rabbit, Escape Hotel
- Via Milano, Koramangala
Damn, I’m not in town this time…
That’s cool, they’re going to be held once a quarter, typically in February, May, August and November. As usual, we’ll keep you updated!
Happy eating! xx